1. Technical Field
Various embodiments relate generally to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device including a stacked structure and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Related Art
A non-volatile memory retains data stored therein even when not powered. Two-dimensional memory devices in which memory cells are fabricated in a single layer over a silicon substrate have reached physical limits in increasing their degree of integration. Accordingly, three-dimensional (3D) non-volatile memory devices in which memory cells are stacked in a vertical direction over a silicon substrate have been proposed.
In a 3D non-volatile memory device, since memory cells are stacked over a substrate, a stacked structure with a high aspect ratio is formed. However, such high aspect ratio stacked structure may tilt to one side during the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device. In addition, when a stacked structure is formed in a certain region, a level difference between that region and another region without the stacked structure may be increased. For example, when a stacked structure is formed in a cell region, a level difference between the cell region and a peripheral region may be increased. The increased level difference may lead to an undesirable increase in height of contact plugs formed in the peripheral region. As a result, the difficulties associated with the manufacturing process and the likelihood of failures may be increased.